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York Catholic's Iati in a good spot at Albany


CATONSVILLE, Md. – University of Albany men’s basketball coach Will Brown, now in his 16th season at the school, signed a five-year contract extension in September that will keep him on the sidelines with the Great Danes through the 2020-2021 campaign.

That is almost unheard of these days in college sports, where many big-time Division I programs change coaches as often as they take out the laundry.

The stability under Brown is also beneficial to former York Catholic High basketball standout Jon Iati, a former player for Brown who is now in his fifth season as an assistant at Albany.

Iati, a 2007 graduate of Albany, is the top assistant under Brown. The Great Danes, with six straight winning seasons, posted their first America East Conference victory of the season with a 77-50 decision on Monday at Maryland, Baltimore County.

“I love working here. I played here and I am at a spot now where I have kind of moved up to the first spot” as an assistant, Iati said, standing outside of visitors' locker room at UMBC. “I have worked my way up. I am not looking to move.”

The contract extension for Brown also aids Iati, who was part of two NCAA teams at Albany as a player.

“As an assistant you are tied to the hip with your head coach,” he said. “In this business if you have five years that is pretty good job security. (The contract) is a show of good faith. We have done a pretty good job. We still need to win games. These jobs can turn over."

Iati scored more than 1,000 points at Albany under Brown.

“I was fortunate enough to coach Jon and his brother Jacob,” Brown said. “When I first had Jon as a player he never said boo. He was as quiet as he could be. I know he knew the game in and out. I didn’t know how effective he would be as a communicator, which is a huge part of this business. He was not overly vocal. He has grown and developed as a teacher and communicator. He is excellent on the court with the guys.”

“He is really effective in all areas and has a bright future,” Brown added. “I think at some point down the road he will be a head coach. It is a question of what level he wants to coach and how soon he gets that opportunity. If you really want to be a head coach be as valuable of an assistant as you can be. Don’t be a one-trick pony. Be just be as well-rounded as possible; Jon has continued to do that. I can rely on him and trust him in all facets of our program.”

Albany failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2016 after three straight trips to March Madness. The team began this season with an 87-81 win against Penn State on Nov. 11, the first win over a Big Ten Conference program in school history.

The Great Danes lost their first three AEC contests this month before guards David Nichols and Joe Cremo combined for 33 points in the win over UMBC to improve their record to 10-9. Albany hosts AEC foe Binghamton on Thursday.

“We had to get one on the winning side of the board,” Iati said after beating UMBC. “We didn’t play like an 0-3 team today. It was our best defense effort of the year. We have to put some wins together here. Anytime you can win on the road it is a big win.”

Cremo is a sophomore tri-captain who last season was the America East Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman as he averaged 10.5 points per game. Iati was instrumental in recruiting Cremo, who grew up near Albany and is now averaging more than 17 points per game this season.

“We were able to get into the gym (at Scotia-Glenville High) a ton and see him play,” Iati said. “His high school coach went to UAlbany as well. He is very family oriented; he wanted to stay home. It helps when he is Rookie of the Year in the league. He makes me look like a smart man.”

Iati scored 2,216 points at York Catholic and held the school record before his brother, Jacob, came along and scored 2,388. Jon Iati scored 56 points in one game against York Suburban, and was inducted into the York Catholic Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. Now he has found a fit at UAlbany after he spent four years on the staff at Quinnipiac in Connecticut.

“I am invested in this program and this university. In the short term I am pretty happy where I am. It is a good place to be,” he said. "It is a pretty good place to be working.”

David Driver is a freelance writer in Maryland who can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com.

The Iati file

Name: Jon Iati

Sport: Basketball

High school: York Catholic

Current school: University of Albany

Title: Assistant men’s basketball coach

Did you know? Iati was inducted into the York Catholic Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. … He scored 2,216 points in high school and once scored 56 points in a game. … This is his fifth season as an assistant coach at Albany, where he scored more than 1,000 points. … Every member of the UAlbany staff has a degree from the school. Only Duke can also claim that in men’s college basketball at the Division I level.